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June 2010 Newsletter
As we head toward the fulfilling of the prophecies of the end times that the Bible
predicts, one thing you have to ready for, watching for, and listening for are false
teachers. These will be both religious people of other faiths, as well as people who
will fall under the umbrella of ‘christianity’ or as one guy called it
‘the visible church.’
I was reading an article entitled, “ The Dalai Lama Packs Radio City Music Hall, ” One quote from the article said,
“Thousands of people waiting in long lines to see him this week seemed to be of one
mind in their quest to hear his words of wisdom.”
It got me thinking about a few things. One, to whom are we looking to gain wisdom?
Are you looking to secular people? What can a non-believer in the deity of Jesus
Christ really teach you if you are looking for eternal wisdom? Is cooperation really
the main goal? The Bible will never give you that impression.
Jesus says in John 12:52,53: “For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”
We are never called to sacrifice truth on the altar of unity. Never.
Quoting from the article again:
“A packed auditorium of followers have been hearing the Buddhist monk’s
teachings. His main theme of religious understanding draws from his new book, ‘Toward
a True Kinship of Faiths.’”
When I witness to people, I always remind them to never, ever search for something to
believe in. Always search for the truth. The Dalai Lama’s comments don’t even pass
the smell test if you are thinking your way through this life and not just following
your way through this life. Are you filtering things your eyes see through the lens
of the Bible? That is the only way you will find truth and error in this present world.
He instructs people to hold onto their faith traditions, but to accept the full worth of other traditions. A Muslim does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. They do not believe there is a Trinity. Most of them do not believe Jesus died on a cross for the sins of the world. Which then means they do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I just heard all of those points from two Muslim college students heading to Egypt to visit their family as I was talking with them in an airport recently. So I am supposed to ‘genuinely accept’ their faith? I think not. This is where the COEXIST movement came from. You probably have seen those COEXIST bumper stickers. When you do, go up and chat with the person and ask why they have it. For many of them, It boils down to, ‘why can’t we all just get along?’ Here is another section of the article:
“Although the Dalai Lama’s visit has been for the most part warm and cozy,
it has not been without critics.
Now it gets even more interesting. Which of those two people are you going to
believe? How is your Biblical discernment doing?
Did you see what Serene Jones said? She believes that Mr. McConkey’s statement is offensive, but nothing that the Dalai Lama said was offensive! Yes, Christianity has a lot to do with compassion; but in no way, shape, or form does the Dalai Lama help me to become a better Christian! It is utterly preposterous to suggest that he could. Reading my Bible and obeying what it says will do that. The Holy Spirit conforming me in the image of Christ will do that, and not the Dalai Lama (a leader of a complete different religion with a completely different deity). Matthew 7:15 says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Sounds to me like Ms. Jones is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In another article that talked about his trip to New York City it said:
“On Sunday at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Dalai Lama was to
participate in an interfaith discussion titled “Kinship and its Meaning
in Our World Today.”
Again the answer is a big, big no. The implication is, when someone said we need
to respect someone else’s faith, that they are equal in value. No, they are
not. His book is entitled: Toward A True Kinship of Faiths. We are reaching the
time when people are going to start trying, at an even greater degree, to blend faiths
together. However, we are one in Christ, and in nothing else, when it comes to
religious faiths.
When Rob Bell was at an interfaith religious forum in Seattle, he referred to the Dalai Lama as “his holiness.” ( Link to article ) This is absolutely stunning to me. I am a former catholic. They would refer to the Pope as “The Holy See.” This is blasphemy. Only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are holy. We strive for holiness, but only God is holy. 1 Peter 1: 15,16 says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
It is blasphemous for Rob Bell to speak of the Dalai Lama that way. I saw the
video clips from the event. Did Mr. Bell boldly proclaim the Biblical position
of Jesus being the only way to heaven, because we need forgiveness of sins, to
the Dalai Lama, the other people on the panel, and the audience? In no, way,
shape or form did he do that. It was so, so sad.
I was talking with a University of Florida professor one time, and he said to me, “You are not one of those narrow minded bigots are you that believes Jesus is the only way to get to heaven are you?” Well as a matter of fact, yes I am! Unashamedly so by the way. And by the way, so was Jesus! He knew how people needed to get to the Father in heaven and He wasn’t ashamed to tell people so. He wasn’t concerned what people thought about Him. Truth mattered much, much more to Him than His image. These latter days are going to be loaded with false teachers and teachings. 2 Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”
So who are you listening to? Who is it that is speaking into your life and that you
are gaining wisdom from? Are you looking for people who are willing to tell you what
you want to hear, or do you want the truth no matter what?
If you are still on track to read your Bible front to back this year, you should be hitting Psalms sometime this June. Keep soaking your mind with the Word of God. It is so much easier to find false teachings and false teachers when you know the Word of the Most High God!!
Until the nets are full,
P.S. When the Dalai Lama came to Atlanta on one of his recent tours, there were a lot
of brothers in Christ who were at the event reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. Keep
hitting the streets folks. The lost need to hear Biblical truth in these very uncertain
times.
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